William Findlay Rogers (March 1, 1820 – December 16, 1899) was an American politician who served one term as a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from 1883 to 1885. Rogers is probably best remembered today as the mayor and parks commissioner who hired

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

to design Buffalo's park system and its showpiece, Delaware Park. Rogers also supported the foundation of the

Buffalo Zoo Buffalo Zoo is a zoo was located at 300 Parkside Ave in Buffalo, New York, is the seventh oldest zoo in the United States. Each year, the Buffalo Zoo welcomes approximately 400,000 visitors and is the second largest tourist attraction in Western N ...

Early life

William Findlay Rogers was born in Forks Township, Pennsylvania, near the borough of

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

, on March 1, 1820. He was the son of Irish-born

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Thomas Jones Rogers Thomas Jones Rogers (1781 – December 7, 1832) was a Democratic-Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district from 1818 to 1823 and for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district from 1823 ...

and Mary (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Winters) Rogers, daughter of Christian Winters. He moved with his parents to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where he attended the common schools. Rogers returned to Easton and entered a printing office in 1832. Two years later, he returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and continued working at his trade.

Career

In 1840, Rogers established a paper at

Honesdale, Pennsylvania Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough's population was 4,458 at the time of the 2020 census. Honesdale is located northeast of Scranton in a rural area that provides many recrea ...

. In 1846, he moved to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

and became a foreman in the office of the '' Buffalo Daily Courier''. Rogers established and managed the ''Buffalo Republic'' in 1850. Rogers served as a member of Company D of the Buffalo City Guard, in 1846, and served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the

21st New York Volunteer Infantry The 21st New York Infantry Regiment ("1st Buffalo Regiment") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 21st New York Infantry was organized at Buffalo, New York and mustered in for two years state serv ...

. He mustered out in 1863.

Political career

In 1867, he became the comptroller of the city of Buffalo and its

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

in 1869. He served as secretary and treasurer of the Buffalo park commissioners in 1871. He was nominated for the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

in 1878, but declined.

Congress

Rogers was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...

. He served as the superintendent of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at

Bath, New York Bath is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States, with an area of 96.3 square miles (249 km2) and a population of 11,426 in 2020. Its largest settlement is the Village of Bath, which has an area of 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km2) and a population ...

, from 1887 to 1897.

Personal life

Rogers was twice married and the father of four children. He was first married to Caroline M. Waldron (1821–1847), and they were the parents of one son: * Franklin Rogers, who became a printer. After her death, he married Phoebe Demony (1830–1890) in 1849. They were the parents of: * Mary Rogers, who married William C. Brown. * Florence R. Rogers (1861–1932), who married Charles N. Armstrong (1858–1927). * Thomas J. Rogers, a prominent

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

. He died in Buffalo on December 16, 1899, and is interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery.Roll of Honor, The Buffalo Commercial, (Buffalo, New York) May 31, 1900, page 8, accessed May 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11102133/roll_of_honot_the_buffalo_commercial/

References

Sources

*
William Findlay Rogers
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, William Findlay 1820 births 1899 deaths American newspaper founders American people of Irish descent Mayors of Buffalo, New York Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American journalists American male journalists People from Honesdale, Pennsylvania Union Army colonels 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians Politicians from Northampton County, Pennsylvania Mayors of places in New York (state) 19th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from Pennsylvania